Box Score Marquette, Mich. – With eight new players on this years' roster, including seven new freshmen, Minnesota Crookston volleyball opened up their season at the UP Open hosted by Northern Michigan. The young Golden Eagles would see an outstanding crowd on Thursday night inside Vandament Arena as they tried to knock off host school Northern Michigan.
Northern Michigan would use their crowd to win the match in four sets.
The Golden Eagles fall to 0-1 on the young season.
Set One
The young Golden Eagles would show some nerves in the opening set.
NMU and the Golden Eagles would go back and forth early on in the set, but NMU would take a 17-12 lead, but a service error by the Wildcats would cut the deficit to 17-13.
The Golden Eagles would fall in the opening set, 25-15.
Audrey Cariveau (So., OH, Kevil, Kent.) would lead the way for the Golden Eagles with three kills on eight total attacks.
The Golden Eagles had four service errors in the opening set.
Set Two
In set two, the Golden Eagles would settle in and play a much cleaner second set.
The Wildcats would lead 5-3, but freshman
Maya Jones (Fr., OH, New Braunfels, Texas) would go on a five-point service run, giving the Golden Eagles an 8-5 lead.
Later on in the set, it would be another Cariveau kill, giving the Golden Eagles a 15-10 lead.
Another freshman,
Madison Carsten (Fr., OH, Wadena, Minn.) would give the Golden Eagles a four point cushion at 20-16.
Behind their crowd, the Wildcats would eventually tie things up at 24, meaning we would go extra. The Wildcats would have set point, but the scrappy Golden Eagles would score three straight points for the wild set two win.
Mara Weisensel (Sr., MH, New Ulm, Minn.) was outstanding in the second set, finishing with four kills on just six total attacks.
Set Three
Set three would be another wild one.
The Golden Eagles would lead right from the get go. Cariveau would collect her first service ace of the night, giving the Golden Eagles a 6-2 lead.
The maroon and gold would continue to lead, including taking their largest lead of the middle set at 16-10, following a
Seriah McKinney (Jr., MH, Reno, Nev.) service ace.
The Wildcats would go on a 6-0 run to tie the set up at 16 all.
NMU would call a timeout trailing 21-19 and would go onto win the third set by two.
Set Four
After the thrilling set three win, the Wildcats would control the fourth set.
Starting in her first game as a setter,
Dana Melby (R-Fr., S, Gonvick, Minn.) would play outstanding, including collecting a big kill in the fourth set to cut the lead to 23-15.
The Wildcats would win the set 25-17 and the match, 3-1.
Player Highlights
Cariveau opened up her 2023 season with 10 kills on 29 total attacks. Carsten finished with nine kills, while Weisensel and Jones finished with seven and five, respectively.
Melby collected a career-high 25 assists in the match.
Kailee Waasdorp (Fr., DS, West Fargo, N.D.) finished with 19 digs in her first career match.
What's Next
The Golden Eagles are back in action for a pair of matches tomorrow against Lake Superior State at noon and Northwood University at 4 P.M., from Marquette.
